Ear muff



Patented Feb. 9, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

My invention relates to an improvement in ear mufls.

The object of my invention is to provide a knitted ear muff in which a combination of panels of knitted material permits of a sequence of knitted stitches toV shape the muf according to the general contours of the head and ears of any wearer and to avoid the necessity of special sewed selvage edges.

Another` object of my invention is to provide a contoured ear muf tab which is provided with a gore seam and a resilient band secured to said seam.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is an isometric view of my complete ear muff with a head band cut away except as to the ends thereof.

Figure 2 is a similar View of the panels of knitted material from which my ear muff is made and showing the gore in one of the ear tabs.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of my ear muff as it appears upon the head of a wearer.

Figure 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Like parts are designated by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

I am aware that an ear mu device constructed of substantially non-resilient cloth with sewed seams at the margins thereof and shaped generally to conform to the contours of the heads of particular wearers has been provided, ,but the impossibility of providing, at reasonable (cost, the large number of sizes and contours lnecessary to comfortably t all wearers has prevented general acceptance of such devices. I have therefore provided in my device a sequence .of panels of knitted wool or other suitable resili- 'ent yarn to form an ear muff which has natural :selvage edges without heavy marginal seams and which has a natural tendency to conform to the contours of the ears, head and neck of a wearer as follows:

Viewing a completed ear muff constructed in accord with my invention as shown in my drawing, I provide a central panel l made up in a knitted stitch known as the full cardigan and flanked upon either side thereof by panels Il and I2 made up in stitches known as the French rack which in turn merge into ear tab panels I3 and I4 which are comprised of full cardigan stitching.

Each of the ear tabs I3 and I4 is gored as shown at I5 in Fig. 2, so that the margin lines I5 may be brought together and sewed along a seam I6, thus providing a cupped shape to the ear tab as shown most clearly in Fig. 4, and also 5 providing in the seam line IE a solid point of attachment for a resilient or elastic band I1 intended to be extended around the forehead I8 of the wearer.

Each of the panels Ill- I4 is marginally auto- 10 matically selvaged in the operation of the knitting machines and there is therefore no necessity for a special marginal binding or stitching. My complete ear muff, therefore, has the full resilience of the wool or other yarn with which the knitted article is made and when the garment is worn as shown in Fig. 3, the angularity of the several panels with respect to each other is modified under the tension of the elastic band I'I, whereby my complete ear muri conforms to 20 the contours of the head and the neck of the wearer.

It will be seen from the above description that the strip of knitted material of which my ear muff and neck protector is formed has a natural contour suitable for the purpose and that the margins of the strip are naturally selvaged in the knitting process; also that the margins of the ends which would normally be unselvaged are gored and then stitched to provide the cup shape for the ear tab portions of the protector, thus completing the unitary device with margins naturally selvaged in the knitting operation and disposing the only sewed seam at a point where it will not contact portions of the head of the wearer in an irritating way.

I claim:

l. In an ear and neck protector, a strip of knitted material having selvaged edges and gored unselvaged ends, the margins of the gore being brought together in a seam whereby to cup the knitted material adjacent the ends and an elastic band connecting said cupped portions.

2. An ear and neck protector including a central panel of full cardigan knit stitching, flanking panels of French rack stitching and ear tab panels of full cardigan stitching with end margins gored and seamed, whereby to cup the ear tab panels.

SAMUEL ROSENBERG. 

